Soil moisture and soil electrical conductivity (EC) of a farm are important parameters for data-driven farming. This knowledge can help a farmer improve crop yield, reduce costs, and practice sustainable agriculture.
Several agricultural applications rely on soil moisture and soil EC measurements. For example, precision irrigation, which refers to the variable application of water in different regions of the farm, depends on accurate soil moisture values at different depths. This helps reduce the amount of water use, and also reduces the leeching of ground water by the contaminants used in fertilizers and other agricultural inputs. Soil EC is another key indicator of soil health. It has been shown to correlate very well with crop yield and plant nutrient availability, and farmers are recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to measure soil EC to determine soil treatment plans and management zones for Precision Agriculture. However, numerous challenges exist, as discussed below, in providing a cost-effective, widely adoptable technological solution that effectively measures soil moisture and soil EC.